


Dearest Love

by mothercetrion



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Abandonment, Crying, Fluff, Homelessness, Introspection, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Theft, and its happy tears i promise, fuck ao3 tags for not posting in the order i type them, that stuff is in the past though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-08 07:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19865515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothercetrion/pseuds/mothercetrion
Summary: Erron knew how he felt about Kotal. Unfortunately, he wasn’t always able to convey his emotions, especially when it mattered the most. But he tried, and that was all that mattered.





	Dearest Love

**Author's Note:**

> mentioned past homelessness, theft, and abandonment. this whole fic is basically erron thinking over his life before he met kotal. it's fluffy overall but he references his shit past a bit.  
> this fic was inspired by (and dedicated to) my pals in the server!! their amazing kotalblack ideas have endlessly inspired me.

Erron was in love with Kotal. He had no doubt in his mind about that.

Even if he had lots of trouble expressing it or even outright saying it, he was very sure of his feelings.

He could only think of the future with Kotal. He was the one man, the one place, he felt comfortable staying near. He usually tried to avoid sticking to one place for too long; if he got too comfortable, things would start to go bad. It had happened since… fuck, since Erron was eighteen years old. Being ditched, abandoned, left. Getting too comfortable was a surefire way to end up alone. Getting too comfortable… scared him. 

But that was before Kotal.

After leaving the Black Dragon, he needed somewhere to go. He slept behind buildings or in the woods or in abandoned food stalls. He stole things to get by because he had nothing and no one. He didn’t want anything or anyone either. He was content… at least, he convinced himself that he was content.

And then he got caught. He got dragged to the palace with the threat of execution looming over his head from the guards. He knew the way that life went in Outworld, and at that point, death sounded more pleasing than surviving day to day on stolen food and no showers in the blistering heat. He was almost ready. 

But Kotal Kahn, the emperor who didn’t even know Erron’s name, decided to give him a chance. He was changing his rule, he was changing the way that things were being run in Outworld, and… he decided that pardoning thieves that were starving was a good start. He excused Erron of his crimes, under one condition: he would join Kotal’s guards and protect him with his weaponry, with pay. No more stealing. No more crimes. He would be a good guy.

Erron obliged. Hesitantly.

And damn if he wasn’t happy he did.

He ate dinner with Kotal in Erron’s new living quarters, where Kotal tried to learn as much as he could about this mysterious new addition to his guards. But Erron was secretive and quiet, and he told only a little. He was quick to tell Kotal that he used to be a part of the Black Dragon, just in case Kano popped up wanting Erron’s head, but he told him that he wasn’t involved with them anymore and wanted nothing to do with any of them. Kotal understood and excused that too. Erron didn’t understand how someone like him could be in Kotal’s good books so quickly, but he didn’t question it. He knew that he would be leaving after a while, whether on his own accord or after Kotal told him to go.

But then it never happened. Weeks went by, and Erron became Kotal’s right-hand man quickly. They got along, confided in one another with problems involving the realm. It was clear that Kotal didn’t dislike him. He didn’t understand how, but… he was still there. He was still a part of Kotal’s people after a month. Two months. Six months.

And Erron was happy. He was fed, taken care of, checked on, comfortable. He knew Kotal was a good man, which made it even stranger that he wanted Erron there. Erron stayed awake at night, waiting for the guards to come to his quarters with intentions of kicking him out, gun in hand. But it never happened.

So Erron left early one morning. He didn’t go far, just out to the jungle near the palace, right before sunrise. He figured that if no one started searching, he could keep on going. Go to another part of Outworld, far from the palace. Hell, he could find a place in Earthrealm to go to.

He sat under a tree for less than an hour. He heard rustling and looked up and saw not a guard, but the damn Kahn himself. 

“Is there a specific reason that you are out here?” he asked quietly. He sat down on the ground next to Erron and looked over at him. Erron felt nervous. He didn’t know why.

“Just… Just needed some air,” Erron lied. He shifted his gaze from Kotal and to the ground he was sitting on. He was thankful that he had thrown on a bandana before he left. 

“You can get air by simply stepping out of your room,” Kotal replied kindly. “Tell me the truth.”

Erron could feel himself begin to sweat. He was nervous that Kotal was being so… nice to him. He had left, but Kotal was being kind. He had gone out there alone to look for him. He cared. He knew he did.

Erron’s skin crawled, and he lifted his hands and began scratching at the tops of them due to nerves. When he didn’t reply, Kotal let out a quiet sigh. “I understand if you wish not to tell me specific reasons, but tell me this… are you happy?”

Erron looked up at him and nodded firmly. “I am.”

“Then why run?”

“I run before you can force me to.”

It spilled out before Erron could do a damn thing about it. He didn’t even think it, he just said it without hesitation. He looked away from Kotal then, sighing deeply. “I’ve been chased away a good bit, Kotal. All my life, it’s been run, run, run, run, run, run when I’ve been in the same place for too long. Get comfortable, and I gotta get the hell out.”

He paused a moment. Kotal’s eyes were steady on him, their blue hue bringing him some sort of comfort. He looked him in those eyes as he continued. “It’s been six months. I figured it was about time for you to send me off, so I made it easier for you by leaving first.”

Kotal contemplated his reply a moment before he quietly sighed again. “I would never want something of you that you did not want to do. I would never force you to stay here if you did not want to. If you desire to leave, tell me, and I will allow it. No search party, no one looking for you. If that’s what you truly want, I will do it.”

He leaned forward a little so he and Erron were eye level. He looked sincere. “But you just told me that you are happy with us. I am happy that you are here. I would never send you off. You have proven to be a valuable ally, Erron.”

Never was Erron more grateful that he was wearing a bandana. His cheeks were hot with a blush. He could never take sincerity well.

“The moment I saw you not in my throne room, I immediately came searching. I want you to be here. I apologize if I never made that clear to you. I want to make it up to you.” He rose to his feet and held out a hand to Erron to help him up. “Dinner. A feast, if you will.”

Erron grabbed his hand and hoisted himself to his feet, looking up at Kotal with a tilted head. He wasn’t opposed to dinner with the Kahn of Outworld… though he was proving to be far more than that.

That dinner led to them making things… “official” between them. Both of them realized, through eating dinner and being themselves for a while, that they greatly liked the other. Kotal was the one to admit it, shyly, and Erron mumbled that he had felt the same. They began dating that day, spending more personal time together and being themselves more often.

It took only a month for Erron to realize that he was falling harder and harder every day. Kotal was kind, soft, and so generous. He wore his heart on his sleeve and desired nothing more than for Erron to be happy. He tried hard, every day, to make sure that Erron did not want to leave, to make sure that Erron did not feel obligated to leave. He wanted him to have that stability in his life. It meant everything to Erron.

It took two months for Erron to begin sleeping in Kotal’s quarters. He slept with a bandana on every night for a while, and then it hit him one evening as he fell asleep next to Kotal. He wanted to kiss him. Badly. But that meant showing his face, and… that was a lot for him to do. But he wanted it at the same time.

So one evening, he decided to show Kotal his face. They laid on their sides facing one another, and Erron laid there, trying to gain the courage to show it off. Kotal was being his kind, patient self, and he watched him, a small smile on his face. “You don’t have to push yourself to do this, if you do not want to,” he said quietly.

Erron shook his head. “No. We’ve been together a few months… You deserve to see what I actually look like.” He had an arm behind his head, his fingers messing with the knot on his bandana. “Just… Just don’t be too harsh.”

“I could never.”

Erron’s fingers finally undid the knot that held his bandana to his face, and he slowly pulled the bandana away from his face. He shifted his gaze away from Kotal then. In his experience, looking away was the best decision for him to make. The initial reaction was always the worst part.

Ten seconds passed, and he heard his name. Soft and sweet.

He looked over. Kotal’s smile was bigger.

Kotal rose to a sitting up position, and Erron followed suit, continuing to look at him. Kotal slid a little closer to him, and he shook his head, his smile remaining. “I see no reason to hide your face.”

“You… What?”

“You are radiant, Erron. Like the sun. My life is brighter having just seen your true appearance.”

Now that he didn’t have anything to cover his face, Erron was very clearly blushing. He stared at Kotal a moment, his mouth agape in shock, before he finally coughed into his fist. “You… You’re just saying things.”

“Truthful things.” Kotal lifted a hand and hovered it around Erron’s face, and when he nodded, he cupped his cheek in his hand. His skin was warm against Erron’s face. They looked one another in the eye, and for once in Erron’s life, he felt safe.

They kissed that night. It was Erron’s first kiss in several years, and it was easily the best one.

It was those next few months that made Erron the happiest. Every waking moment, he found himself beyond happy to be with Kotal. Holding his hand in private, kissing him, laying with him, everything with Kotal felt new and exciting to him. He found something new to love about Kotal every day, from his muscles to his smile to his generosity to his endless love to give. He was amazing, inside and out, and Erron did not understand how he was so honored to be dating the greatest man alive.

He realized after a year of knowing the man that he was in love. He wasn’t the kind of person to just outright say “I love you,” but he tried to show it in more subtle ways. Kissing Kotal’s hand if they held hands, a few more compliments sprinkled into their conversations, smiling at him more. He wanted to show Kotal that he meant everything to him and that he loved him dearly.

And then after a year of dating, he finally realized what all of those months of dating had resulted in.

Erron wanted to marry Kotal.

Marriage had never really been something that he had ever considered with anyone in the past. That’s why when it hit him suddenly that marrying Kotal sounded like a good thing, it was a bit… scary, to say the least. Marriage was the ultimate form of staying in one place, and while Erron had zero intentions of leaving, it was still a big step for him. But he knew that it was a step in the right direction.

He met with a jeweler who knew Kotal’s ring size and spent a lot of his money to get Kotal a ring that he hoped that he loved. It was good timing for him to plan it out; Kotal was in Earthrealm for the day, making plans with the Special Forces. Erron agreed to stay home to make sure that Outworld did not fall apart, but he could balance both a realm and a marriage proposal.

Their shared room was decorated in Outworldian flowers. Kotal loved the nature that they lived in, so Erron figured it was a good idea. Candles, with his favorite scent. Erron showered and put on an Earthrealm cologne that Kotal gifted him for his birthday. He wanted to look his best. Kotal deserved that and more.

As soon as he heard word about Kotal having returned to Outworld, that’s when he got nervous.

What would he say? How would he ask? Would he just ramble on about how much he loved him and ask? Would he just outright say it the moment he walked in? He was clueless, to be truthful. He had planned everything down to the smallest of the details… but his words were something that he failed to think through.

He sat on the bed with the ring in his pocket for what felt like an eternity. He knew that Kotal was close, but how close? Hell if he knew.

So when Kotal walked into their room, Erron nearly jumped out of his skin. 

Kotal immediately looked around his surprise, his glowing eyes becoming soft at the sight of flowers and candles. He finally looked Erron in the eye and smiled kindly. “Erron, my sun… what is all of this?”

“I… I gotta say this, Kotal, before I lose the courage to.” Erron rose to his feet and stood directly in front of Kotal, looking up at him. His stomach was in countless knots, and he was beyond nervous. But then he saw Kotal, saw his kind, relaxed expression, saw his smile, saw _him_ … and he knew it’d be okay, no matter how it went down.

He took in a deep breath and let his heart speak for him. “Kotal, I love you. There’s—There’s no other way that I can say it. This year with you being my boyfriend, this year and a half of knowing you, it’s been… beyond any of my expectations. I was always so afraid of being in the same place, with the same person for more than a few weeks at most, but then…”

Erron stopped. He could feel his throat tightening. He was about to cry—happy tears, for the first time in too long. “You made me feel safe. Loved. I felt like I was part of something bigger with you. I mattered… because you showed me that I did.” He put a hand on his back pocket, feeling the shape of the ring with his finger. “I know that it may not mean as much to you, but it was everything to me, Kotal. _You’re_ everything to me. This is… This is the only way I know how to tell you.”

Tears fell down his face as he went down on one knee. Kotal gasped quietly and lifted a hand to his chest, his smile growing. 

Erron looked up at him with the most sincere expression that he could muster. “Kotal, I… I have never been this sure about anything in my life. I want to be your husband, you to be my husband. Will… Will you marry me, Kotal?”

Kotal fell to one knee as well and looked him in the eye, and Erron then noticed that his eyes were hazy with tears. “Oh, my sun… I would be truly honored. I absolutely will marry you.”

Erron bit back a surprised gasp and instead grinned at him, letting out a relieved sigh. He grabbed at Kotal’s hand and slipped the ring onto his finger, and the two grabbed one another and kissed right there. They pulled away quickly, and Kotal enveloped Erron in a warm hug, holding him close. Erron tried to hug back, but he could only partially wrap his arms around him.

Neither of them had felt that much joy in their lives. Neither of them would, not like that.

Erron couldn’t think of anything better.


End file.
